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Pan Post 75
In Pan Post 75 King Arthur and Gamma Pans face Omega Wier armed with the Lightning Amulet that he obtained in Pan Post 74. When Omega Wier summons a lightning tornado enveloping himself and destroys the dust-ghosts by the dozens, they flee and rejoin Prince Mordred and the knights in The Forsaken Valley city. They retreat to the clifftop where Sir Caelia adds immense power to the tornado, seemingly the opposite of what would be desired. However the act uses up all of the aether remaining in the valley and the magical tornado subsides. Gamma Pans, fearing his position on Saturn amongst his own people, opts to join Arthur onboard Camelot. During a Round Table Council they decide that the Lightning Amulet should be studied and that they should continue their journey through the Solar System but keep in sight the goal to colonise a distant Earth-like world. Post Space Camelot: Space Lightning Characters: King Arthur | Queen Guinevere | Prince Mordred | Morganna le Fay | Merlin the Younger | Sir Kay | Sir Lancelot | Sir Bedivere | Sir Galahad | Sir Tristram | Sir Caelia | Sir Red Rose Knight | Sir Black Knight | Sir Faerie Knight | Andy | Admiral Ltexi | Gamma Pans | Omega Wier The lightning storm rages. It had swirled out of controlled incredibly quickly and now the X-Krypton is lost in a whirlwind of white heat. Sparks fly from the lightning vortex and the spiral cocoon appears unlikely to dissipate. King Arthur and Gamma Pans desperately plant themselves into the dusty ground so they wouldn't be sucked up into the electrical storm. The dust-ghosts aren't as weighted and they're sucked into oblivion with each passing second - dust explodes as the ghosts pound into the lightning sheet. King Arthur: "How in the name of God are we going to stop this!?" Gamma Pans: "I don't know how to do it in the name of God, Human King, but maybe we can find a way of stopping this without his name?" King Arthur: "Capital H!" Gamma Pans: "What?" King Arthur: "Nevermind." Gamma Pans: "Honestly, I think there's only one thing for it." King Arthur: "And that is?" ----- On the other side of the ancient Kryptonian city Prince Mordred and the Knights of the Round Table are keeping up with their dusty foes but while the humans' stamina begins the wane, the ghosts are forever ready to attack. Then they see bright white light erupt in the distance. The white light replaces the hazy blue light of the tall pillars and suddenly everyone is cast in brilliant radiance. [[Sir Kay|'Sir Kay:']] "Is it the light of Excalibur!?" Sir Caelia: "No! I sense highly potent magic at work! The aether here is being drained rapidly by whatever that is!" Prince Mordred: "It must be the power of the amulet!" Sir Lancelot: "To the king!!!" Prince Mordred: "You want us to go towards it!?" Sir Lancelot: "Your father is in there!" Prince Mordred: "And may his soul rest in peace..." It's not as if he hates his father. But he's certainly not about to give up his own on the off-chance he might save his father from what is probably the result of his own stupidity. Sir Caelia: "Wait, the aether is shifting..." Sir Kay: "Bugger the aether, that big lightning storm is shifting. It's... coming this way!" As the whirlwind of lightning begins to move it starts to enter the city, tearing up ancient buildings from their foundations. Undisturbed for centuries they're suddenly blown apart in an instant. Of course it also means all of the ghosts in the city are being obliterated too, so there's a silver lining at least. Mordred glances around at his fellow knights. Most of them are staring at the lightning, though Sir Lancelot distractedly pummels a random ghost. Prince Mordred: "Uh... are we just going to stand here while that thing comes straight at us?" Sir Kay: "I think... I think the boy has a point." Sir Caelia points towards the city. Sir Caelia: "Look! It's the King!" They then spot the figure of Llamrei, Arthur's horse, and two riders charging along the straight, wide street of the city with the lightning tornado chasing them. Mordred groans. Prince Mordred: "Why am I not surprised." Over the cacophony of destructive sound they manage to hear the command of their king; King Arthur: "RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!" Mordred doesn't need to be told twice as he leaps onto his horse's back and instantly rides in the opposite direction to the doomy-storm-thingy. He sees a ghost headed for Sir Kay as the knight attempts to mount his own steed. Mordred veers right and slashes the ghost in twain, spraying it into the air in an instant. Good deed of the day, Mordred reckons as he whizzes by his half-uncle. A quick glance back and he sees everyone has has decided to turn tail in the face of this horrible magical storm. Sir Caelia, upon her dire wolf, quickly takes over Mordred. She gives him a little wave as she goes by, as though she were on a jolly jaunt through the woods. Prince Mordred: "Bloody Faeries. Absolutely bonkers all of them." The journey through the valley had seemed a lot shorter than it does now. He constantly glances back, hoping to see an unexpected end to the malevolent tornado, but all he sees are the knights fleeing for their lives against a bright, white backdrop that is getting bigger and bigger every passing minute. When he reaches the base of the cliff he rears the horse before then galloping up the narrow path. It's stupidly dangerous, but hanging about is definitely worse. As he turns a corner, slowing right down before he gets to it, a sudden blast erupts from above him. He sees another arc of magical lightning appear in the sky - only this time it's coming from above him and is aimed straight at the storm. Sir Caelia, undoubtedly, but why the Hell she would think to use lightning against lightning is left an annoying mystery as he ascends. When he does finally reach the top he almost falls off his horse as the beast is anxious to get off the harrowing path of the cliffside. He sees Sir Caelia stand on the edge of the cliff, a little too close for Mordred's comfort, where she's blasting the lightning. He hops off his mount and jogs over to her. Prince Mordred: "What do you think you're doing? You're making it worse! Bigger even!" Sir Caelia nods energetically. Sir Caelia: "That's the idea!" Mordred groans with frustration. She might actually just be insane, it is entirely possible. He never really understood any Aes Sidhe but the Faeries, Fairies and Pixies were always the worst of them in his experience. Mostly because they are all missing a few marbles. She could also be damned stupid, just like Lancelot, Kay and Galahad. Having considered all of that, however, he's sure that Sir Caelia, at least, isn't daft and through her weirdness she has a mind as strong as even Queen Guinevere, perchance. So he decided that this obtuse mode of thinking is likely going to be the result of some intelligent plan. Either that or he should boot her off that cliff she's standing over. Decisions, decisions. Sir Tristram appears on the cliff, meaning any surreptitious attempt to assassinate the wayward faerie is now off the table. Hopefully she isn't crazy after all. Sir Tristram: "Why are you adding to that monstrous storm, Sir Caelia?" Prince Mordred raises an eyebrow. Maybe Sir Tristram will murder Sir Caelia instead... Sir Caelia: "Don't distract me while I'm busy." Sir Tristram glances at Mordred, as though asking for his silent affirmation that it is okay to kill the faerie. But, instead, he just shakes his head, evidently coming to the same conclusion that Mordred had done. Prince Mordred: "I just hope whatever your plan is works, Sir Caelia." Sir Caelia: "Stop. Distracting. Me." Eventually they're all up on top of the cliff and the tornado is almost upon them. King Arthur gets up last and sitting with his is none other than Gamma Pans. Mordred frowns. Prince Mordred: "If Pans is here, then who--?" King Arthur: "It's the other one. O-uh... Omlette Went." Gamma Pans: "Omega Wier." King Arthur: "Yeah, that guy. He duped us into chasing down Gamma Pans for the amulet." Sir Lancelot: "The traitor! ONLY THE DEEPEST DEPTHS OF HE--" Sir Caelia: "Shaddap!" Lancelot pouts but remains quiet. The tornado has reached a fevered pitch and Mordred must shield his eyes from the extraordinary light. He can feel static electricity all around him, the hair on his head spiking up. A sharp sting stabs his lip as a rogue spark erupts. A few yelps and groans from the others tells Mordred he isn't the only one being accosted by the static. Just as it seems that the tornado will rise up and spill over the cliff it seems to falter. The entire thing flickers in and out of existence as it struggles to 'be'. Mordred assumes this is all thanks to Sir Caelia's mad plan. He notices even her own arcing lightning is flickering. He looks to the others but they all seem just as puzzled. Then, with a final surge towards them, the lightning tornado vanishes and Mordred can breathe freely. Sir Kay: "Did anyone else soil themselves?" King Arthur: "What happened?" Arthur looks down over the cliff. Sir Caelia pants. Sir Caelia: "We used up all of the aether in the area. This planet isn't like Earth, there's not much aether here. It'll be a long, long time before enough aether seeps into this land." While everyone else nods with understanding, Arthur winces with stressful contemplation. Sir Caelia: "By the way, that bloke is still down there. I didn't kill him, he just can't use his amulet any more..." King Arthur: "Knights! After the wretch! I'll... wait here." Sir Kay: "You're actually going to make us go all the way back down there while you rest up here, eh?" Sir Lancelot: "Stop complaining and act like a knight, Sir Kay. Onwards!" Sir Lancelot, still full of energy despite the long trip up the cliff, charges down again. Sir Kay: "I hope he breaks his leg." Sir Tristram goes after Lancelot with a disgruntled Sir Kay also giving chase. Sir Caelia sighs. Sir Caelia: "Mind if I rest here, my Lord?" King Arthur: "I think you've earnt it. Well done." Gamma Pans: "I'm sorry Omega Wier was able to deceive us all easily..." Sir Caelia: "I'm surprised he was able to use the amulet so well." A sudden air of possible deception hits the group and the humans all stare at Gamma Pans. He shuffles his feet uneasily. He gives a helpless shrug. Gamma Pans: "It's been rumoured that my ancestors actually stole the amulet from his ancestors." King Arthur: "So the amulet is rightfully his?" Gamma Pans: "No! It's just a rumour. A long story. Someone claims something belonging to someone else a century ago, you can't still lay claim to it so long later." King Arthur: "I think I could conjure up a casus belli based on that..." Prince Mordred: "In the same vein, I reckon a few others could lay claim to Britannia, father..." Arthur jerks at that idea. King Arthur: "Uh, right. Okay. We return it to Custodian Pans. Besides, I like you more." Gamma Pans: "Because I speak English, perhaps?" King Arthur: "Actually, you're probably right. Still, it accounts for something, right!?" Gamma Pans: "I just hope our lands can recover peacefully after all of this. I think the G-Krypton City will be forever changed. And our people may never trust the Custodians again. Maybe they'll blame the amulet?" Arthur's eyes twinkle greedily. King Arthur: "We can't have that, can we!? Perhaps... perhaps we should take it off your hands?" Pans falls silent while Arthur waits on pins and needles. Mordred just rolls his eyes at his father's behaviour. Sir Caelia, however, seems almost as eager as Arthur himself. Sir Caelia: "Perhaps the amulet would be safer in the hands of myself or Morganna le Fay? We have immense experience and knowledge of magic, Custodian. We may even discover its origins..." Gamma Pans: "That would be something... but... I can't bear to part with it. It's an heirloom of my family - stolen a century ago or not..." Arthur appears deflated. Mordred groans inwardly at his own coming words. Why he would help his father try to lay claim to something so precious he doesn't know, but he can't help but try to help his father get what he wants. Prince Mordred: "You could come with us, Gamma." The X-Krypton is shocked by that idea. Even Arthur looks perturbed. Mordred just shrugs. Prince Mordred: "Why not? We have Andy the rock-guy with us and that naked Jupiter woman seems like she'll be riding with us a while. An X-Krypton aboard shouldn't be such a surprise. Besides, Gamma, you said yourself, people might blame you and amulet and distrust the Custodians... seems you've no place here..." ---- In the Conference Room of ''Camelot, a room that is essentially a place filled with chairs, is where they put the round table. It sits in the centre of the room, before the unusual circlular, gold pad on the ground where a bunch of screens are on the wall. Admiral Ltexi explains that on her ship they had to install a lot of computers in this room so that they could better use the functions of the room. It's meant to be a backup bridge in case the primary bridge falls. Arthur just thinks it's a great place for a table.'' He sits down. The table is huge and is actually a doughtnut shape, inspired by the baked goods of Doughnutdelf beneath Stonehenge. The architect of the table had been something of a doughnut-connoisseur, which suited Arthur because he was rather fond of them too. Especially when they had blueberry jam in them. King Arthur: "We really need to find a room where we can bake doughnuts!" His fifty knights around the huge table fall silent. King Arthur: "Uh... not that it's important. Just... came to me." Sir Kay: "Thinking of doughnuts in the middle of an important meeting, brother?" Queen Guinevere: "Actually, I think it's an excellent idea. We could use something to remind us of our homeland. I'll have someone find a suitable location. I'm certain someone must know of the doughnut recipees of the druids." Sir Bedivere: "As nice as doughnuts would be, especially the hollowed ones with a sprinkle of sugar on them... can someone explain why we have the traitor aboard?" He points to Gamma Pans. He's standing apart from the table because he isn't a knight. Only one extra chair sits at the table, making a total of fifty-one, and that chair is for the queen. Everyone else at the Round Table Council must stand out of the way. They're allows to listen but not take part, unlike the personal meetings that Arthur often holds with his friends and family. This means that even the young prince is confined to standing in the shadows, along with Gamma Pans. When the X-Krypton thinks he is being addressed by Sir Bedivere he opens his mouth to explain but Mordred quiets him and allows Arthur to explain instead. After the king explains the events that took part in the abandonned Krypton city the knights quietly muse over the situation until the queen speaks up. Queen Guinevere: "I think we have learnt a great deal from Saturn. It may be difficult to conquer alien beings and force them to adapt to our cultural norms. Therefore we should first, instead, focus on our original charge..." King Arthur: "Colonisation! We need to find a suitable world to populate!" Sir Bedivere: "I doubt we could find a second Earth within the confines of our solar system, sire." Sir Galahad: "So we'll just leave the solar system? There are several more planets we still haven't explored!" Commonly addressed as Tom a'Lincoln, when in his formal role he's better known as the Red Rose Knight. His armour is bronze coloured and worn beneath his stark white tabard on which is a stylised red rose. Sir Red Rose Knight: "The computers say that the next planets are Uranus and Neptune. They're twin worlds. They're coloured blue." Sir Kay snorts. Sir Kay: "Because the colour of the planets is going to sway us..." King Arthur: "I do like the colour blue..." Sir Bedivere: "Me too." Sir Lancelot: "Blue is a powerful and majestic colour." Sir Caelia: "Blue is very pretty." Sir Kay: "Damn..." Sir Red Rose Knight: "So I should set a course for Uranus?" Arthur nods. King Arthur: "I believe we should see all our home system has to offer before departing. But this is a Round Table Council. That means the vote is down to everyone here and not I alone." A series of agreements quickly spreads around the table with only a few people disgruntled at the idea of spending more time in the solar system. King Arthur: "Seems a consensus is met. We'll head to Uranus. As we've mentioned, Custodian Pans will join us. I believe Admiral Ltexi of Jupiter will also join us so long as we are in the solar system. When we do decide to leave, she said she'll return to her people." Sir Bedivere: "That's for the best. I don't trust her snooping around." Queen Guinevere: "We have Merlin watching her, Sir Bedivere." Sir Caelia: "Not that you can trust Merlin to tie her own shoelaces." Arthur frowns. King Arthur: "She doesn't have shoelaces!" Caelia, rather than appear annoyed at the king's stupidity, seems rather entertained. Sir Caelia: "Because she can't tie them!" Arthur's face sparkles with enlightenment. King Arthur: "Ah! I see!" Queen Guinevere: "I'm sure Merlin can tie shoelaces, my dear, Sir Caelia is just being mean." She pauses. Queen Guinevere: "Probably." Sir Lancelot: "While Merlin is babysitting our resident spy, it means she can't investigate the amulet we brought on board." He glances at Gamma Pans. Despite being at the centre of all of this, Pans feels like he has little to no control over his immediate destiny. Sir Tristram: "Lady Morganna is already looking into it." Sir Caelia: "And I'll help her." Sir Red Rose Knight: "But wouldn't Merlin's more academic approach to magic help with such an investigation? You know how she loves researching things." Sir Caelia wafts her hand towards her husband. Sir Caelia: "We'll manage without her, I don't doubt." Sir Kay: "Just don't blow anything up this time." There's a fretful murmur around the table. Sir Caelia: "I'll be careful!! I would let it blow up too much." Sir Kay: "Too much?" Sir Caelia: "What's magic without the occasional explosion?" Queen Guinevere: "We should remember, regardless, that the amulet belongs to Gamma Pans. It is only with his authorisation that any research be done at all." Sir Caelia: "But--!" King Arthur: "I think Guinevere is right." He glances around. King Arthur: "Doesn't anyone disagree with the queen?" The knights are brought into line by Guinevere's serene smile and infallible moral superiority. Caelia sulks. King Arthur: "Well then! We should move on to other important matters! Toilets! You need to start using them! Stop tossing buckets of poop into the corridors!!" Sir Lancelot: "You want us to use those weird, watery holes!?" Sir Kay: "I dropped a bar of soap into one and it was sucked away. Never to return. What happens if we fall in!" Sir Bedivere: "I assure you, you won't fall in. Many of us have been using these... loos." Queen Guinevere: "This might take some time..." Category:Post Category:Pan Post